Tool for tightening wires and breaking the ends thereof



Dec. 29, 1964 J. R- MaclNTosl-l TOOL FOR TIGHTENING WIRES AND BREAKING THE ENDS THEREOF Filed June 1, 1962 F'lG.l

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United States Patent Ofilice 3,lfi3,i87 Patented Dec. 29, 1964 3,153,187 TOQL FGR TIGHTENKNG WIRES AND THE THEREQF Joseph R. Macintosh, Louisviile, Kyi, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed .Iune l, 1962, Ser. No. 199,472 Claims. (Cl. Nth-93.6)

This invention relates to tools for tightening wires, and more particularly to such tools wherein the desired effect is achieved by tying the wire ends together and by ti 'isting them until the fatigue point is reached and they break.

It is an object of my invention to provide a simple and effective tool for tying wire ends together by twisting and breaking them wherein the positioning of the wire is readily effected without any need for special care.

In carrying out my invention in one form thereof, I provide a tool for tying together wire ends by twisting and breaking them in which the main part of the tool is formed of an elongated member of rigid material. A substantially axial unobstructed passage is formed in this member from one end thereof for a predetermined distance, and a second passage, which is at an obtuse angle to the first passage, joins the end of the first passage to the outer periphery of the elongated member intermediate the ends thereof.

The elongated member is provided with movable means arranged to have a first position in which unobstructed egress from the second passage is permitted for wire ends inserted into the first passage, and a second position in which it engages wire ends extending from the second passage so as to prevent their being pulled back into the passage. The elongated member is formed so as to be rotatable by an external agency. Thus, when it is rotated, wires which extend through the passages and are engaged by the movable means are twisted together until they break intermediate the ends of the twisted part.

The subject matter which forms my invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed'in the concluding portion of this specification. The invention itself, however, both as to organization and method of operation together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing, FIGURE 1 is a plan view of my improved tool;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of my improved tool illustrating its use, and wherein wire ends have just been inserted in the tool; and

FIGURE 3 is a second cross-sectional view similar to FIGURE 2 but wherein the tool is operatively arranged and the wires are being twisted.

Referring now to the figures, my invention provides for an elongated member 1 which is preferably, although not necessarily, cylindrical or sleeve-like in form over most of its length. Member 1 terminates at one end in a head member 2 which is supported on member 1 by a thrust bearing member 3 of any suitable bearing material so that it is freely rotatable relative to the remainder of member 1. In addition, retaining pins 3a may be provided to prevent separation of members i and 2. A substantially axial passage 4 is formed extending from the right end of member 1, as viewed in the figures, so that it goes both through the rotatable head 2 and through the cylindrical portion of the member. It will be noted that the passage 4 is substantially unobstructed so that wires inserted therein may pass freely therethrough without any difficulty.

A second unobstructed passage 5 extends at an obtuse angle to the first passage and has one end joining the inner end of the first passage. The term obtuse will be understood to define the general direction of passage 5 rather than being used in its more limited sense. For instance,

passage 5 may be curved so that there is actually a tangential junction between the passages. The outer end 6 of passage 5 opens out onto the periphery of member 1. Because of the obtuse angle, wires which are inserted into the end of mem er I through passage 4 are gently directed, as shown in FIGURE 1, so that they then pass through passage 5 and come out through end 6 thereof. With wire having any flexibility whatsoever this will result automatically, from the sloping relationship of the second passage 5 with respect to the first passage 4. Thus, for insertion of the wire ends W and W to the position shown in FIG- URE 1 it is only necessary that the wires be passed into the inlet of passage 4, and they will then automatically emerge from the outlet of passage 5 without any special care whatsoever being required.

During the twisting operation, as well appear more clearly herebeiow, the ends of the wires need to be crimped or secured so that they will not be pulled back into the passageway. In order to effect this, suitable movable means is mounted on member 1 in the form of a slidable collar 7 which may have a serrated portion 8- that it may readily be grasped and moved forward or back on the member I. A stop 9 may be provided to limit its motion backward, or to the left, and a stop Id may be provided to limit its motion forward, or to the right.

The front portion of collar '7 is internally cut away so as to provide an annular recess 11. As a result, when the collar is moved forward to the position shown in FIGURE 2, the wire ends W and W are forced forward and down by the front end 12 of collar '7, and then they are wedged in the recess 11 against the outer surface of member 1. Thus, a relatively secure positioning of the ends of the Wires W and W outside of the passages is insured.

At this point it will be understood that the ends of the wires W and W will normally be two ends of a single wire which is used to wrap around something. For instance, in the present case, it is desired to secure a band 12a of flexible material to an inner ring 13 of metal and the wire isused for this purpose, that is, to secure them together, it being understood that members 12a and 13 are cylindrical in shape. However, it will also be understood that the wires V1 and N may represent the two ends of entirely independent pieces of wire under some circumstances, and that my invention applies equally in such a case.

After the wire has been passed around the members and 13, as shown in FIGURE 2, the two wire ends 'W and W are then passed through the passages 4i and 5 as previously described so that they emerge through end 6 of passage 5. The member 1 is then pushed up against the surface of member 12 fairly securely so that there is not an undue amount of slack in the wire where it leaves the surface of member 12 and passes through the passages of member 1. Then collar '7 is used to crimp the wires so that the ends of the wires remain outside the passages.

Member 1 is provided with a portion suitably shaped to be received by some external agency for rotating member 1. This may be in the form of an extension 14 adapted to be received in the chuck of a drill whose front portion is indicated in dotted outline by the numeral 15. It will, however, be understood that manual operation is possible, or, as is actually true for production purposes by applicants assignee, a pneumatic source of rotary power may be used.

When the member is rotated with the parts in the position shown in FIGURE 3, the rotation of the ends of the wire which are held 'by collar 7 against member 1, and the stationary condition of the portion of the wire which is wrapped around member 12a, cause a twisting of the wire Within the passage 4 as shown. It has been found from experience that this twisting continues until the fatigue point is reached at approximately point P and that the wire then breaks at point P so that a substantial length of twisted wire remains to secure members 12 and 13 together. Twisting the wire also tightens the wire down on member 12 so as to hold it tightly against member 13.

It will be seen that in the final position of the tool, and quite often during a major part or" the twisting operation, the head 2 of the tool will be against the wire or the member 12 and it is for this reason that it is preferred to provide a head which may remain stationary with respect to the wire or the member 12 and therefore is rotatably mounted on member 1. It will, though, be understood that under certain circumstances and with certain materials the head member 2 may be omitted without adverse effect.

When the wire becomes fatigued to the breaking point at point P, and consequently ruptures, this is readily noticeable to the operator who may then stop the rotating operation, pull the collar 7 back, remove wire ends W and W which are now entirely separate from the main part of the wire, and throw them away. Then the tool is removed by simply withdrawing it substantially axially. It has been found that the entire operation takes a matter of only six seconds from the time that the operator starts to insert the tool over the ends of the wire to the time that the tool is withdrawn from the ends of the wire and the ruptured ends W and W are removed and thrown away.

It can thus be seen that a highly effective and very simple tool is provided which is easily used and has a predictably uniform effect for each operation.

While in accordance with the patent statute 1 have described what at present is considered to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention, and I therefore aim in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A tool for tying together wire ends by twisting and breaking them comprising:

(a) an elongated member of rigid material having a substantially axial unobstructed passage formed therein from one end thereof for a predetermined distance,

(b) said member having a second passage fiormed therein at an obtuse angle to said first passage,

(c) said second passage having one end connecting with said first passage at the end thereof remote from said one end of said member, and

(d) said second passage having its other end ope-ning out onto the periphery of said elongated member intermediate the ends thereof;

(e) and movable means connected to said elongated member so as to be movable relative thereto,

(f) said movable means having a first position in which it permits unobstructed egress from said other end of said second passage of wire ends inserted into said one member end,

(g) said movable means having a second position in which it engages wire ends extending from said other end of said second passage so as to prevent their being pulled back into said second passage; and

(It) said elongated member being formed so as to be rotatable by an external agency whereby, upon rotation, wires extending through said passages and engaged by said movable means are twisted together and break from metal fatigue intermediate the ends of the twisted part.

2, The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said movable means is a member slida'ble upon said elongated member, said slidable member in its first position being behind said other end of said second passage relative to said one member end, said slidable member having a front portion spaced from the surface of said elongated member and in its second position oein g arranged so that said front portion wedges wires extending from said second passage.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein said elongated member is cylindrical and said slidable member is a collar around said elongated member.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said elongated member has the end thereof remote from its said one end formed to be rotatable by an external agency.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said elongated member includes a head at said one end thereof which is freely rotatable relative to the remainder of said member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,209,434 12/16 Hayden -119 2,943,650 7/60 Rubin l40l 19 3,072,156 1/63 Hunziker l401l8 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner. KINGSLEY C. PECK, Examiner. 

1. A TOOL FOR TYING TOGETHER WIRE ENDS BY TWISTING AND BREAKING THEM COMPRISING: (A) AN ELONGATED MEMBER OF RIGID MATERIAL HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY AXIAL UNOBSTRUCTED PASSAGE FORMED THEREIN FROM ONE END THEREOF FOR A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE, (B) SAID MEMBER HAVING A SECOND PASSAGE FORMED THEREIN AT AN OBTUSE ANGLE TO SAID FIRST PASSAGE, (C) SAID SECOND PASSAGE HAVING ONE END CONNECTING WITH SAID FIRST PASSAGE AT THE END THEREOF REMOTE FROM SAID ONE END OF SAID MEMBER, AND (D) SAID SECOND PASSAGE HAVING ITS OTHER END OPENING OUT ONTO THE PERIPHERY OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF; (E) AND MOVABLE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID ELONGATED MEMBER SO AS TO BE MOVABLE RELATIVE THERETO, (F) SAID MOVABLE MEANS HAVING A FIRST POSITION IN WHICH IT PERMITS UNOBSTRUCTED EGRESS FROM SAID OTHER END OF SAID SECOND PASSAGE OF WIRE ENDS INSERTED INTO SAID ONE MEMBER END, (G) SAID MOVABLE MEANS HAVING A SECOND POSITION IN WHICH IT ENGAGES WIRE ENDS EXTENDING FROM SAID OTHER END OF SAID SECOND PASSAGE SO AS TO PREVENT THEIR BEING PULLED BACK INTO SAID SECOND PASSAGE; AND (H) SAID ELONGATED MEMBER BEING FORMED SO AS TO BE ROTATABLE BY AN EXTERNAL AGENCY WHEREBY, UPON ROTATION, WIRES EXTENDING THROUGH SAID PASSAGES AND ENGAGED BY SAID MOVABLE MEANS ARE TWISTED TOGETHER AND BREAK FROM METAL FATIGUE INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF THE TWISTED PART. 